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Thera 4.5: Jambuka
Tipitaka >> Sutta Pitaka >> Khuddaka Nikaya >> Theragatha >> Thera(190):Jambuka Adapted from the Archaic Translation by Mrs. C.A.F. Rhys Davids. Commentary (Atthakatha) By Acariya Dhammapala Note: 'C' in Pali text is pronounced as 'ch' as in 'China'. ---- Chapter IV. Four Verses =190. Jambuka= Reborn in this Buddha-age in a very poor family, he inclined, as in a previous birth, to feeding on excremeut, and left the world to be a naked ascetic. Practising many austerities, and eating beans one by one on the point of a straw, he was fifty-five years old when the Exalted One(Buddha), seeing the conditions of prospects of arahantship(enlightenment) shining within his heart like a lamp in a jar, himself went to him, and teaching him the Path(Dhamma), he achieved Sotapana(first samadhi of Nirvana). Then said he: 'Come, bhikkhu!' by that initiating him into monkhood.1 And Jambuka upon that conjuring up insight, the Lord(Buddha) established him in arahantship(enlightenment). This is in outline, but a full account is given in the Commentary on the Dhammapada verse: Bean after bean by point of straw. ...2 At the hour of his passing away he showed that, though once wrongly living, he, by leaning on the Buddha Supreme, had gotten where a disciple ought to get, thus: ---- 283 Pañcapaññāsavassāni rajojallamadhārayiɱ,|| Bhuñjanto māsikaɱ bhattaɱ kesamassuɱ alocayiɱ.|| || 284 Ekapādena aṭṭhāsiɱ āsanaɱ parivajjayiɱ,|| Sukkhagūthāni ca khādiɱ udādasaɱ ca na sādiyiɱ.|| || 285 Etādisaɱ karitvāna bahuɱ duggatigāminaɱ,|| Vuyhamāno mahoghena buddhaɱ saraṇam āgamaɱ.|| || 286 Saraṇāgamanaɱ passa passa dhammasudhammataɱ,|| Tisso vijjā anuppattā kataɱ buddhassa sāsanan' ti.|| || ---- 283 For five and fifty years covered with dust And dirt, eating a dinner once a month,3 And pulling out my hair from head and face, 284 On one leg would I stand, I used no couch, Dry dung I ate, nor would accept when remain. 285 So I did actions leading to much woe And ruin, swept along by mighty flood, Till I a refuge in the Buddha found: - 286 O see how to that Refuge I have come to! O see the seemly monk’s order of the Path(Dhamma)! The Threefold Wisdom have I made my own, And all the Buddha taught me to do is done. ---- 1 See p. 106, n. 2. 2 Verse 70 (Commentary, ii. 52-63). The literary reference is of interest, but it does not enable us to say that the Dhammapada Commentary referred to is positively that which we now have in Pali. Jambuka is referred to in Milinda, ii. 249. 3 The extreme interval given in the list of austerities occurring more than once in Dīgha-Nikāya is twice a month - e.g., Dialogues, i. 229. ---- =4.5 190 Commentary on the stanza of Jambukatthera= The stanza starting with pañcapaññāsa constitutes that of the venerable thera Jambuka. What is the origin? This one also having done devoted deeds of service toward former Buddhas, accumulating acts of merit in this and that existence, was reborn in a family home, at the time of the Blessed One Tissa; on having attained the age of intelligence, he reverentially offered a fan to the bodhi tree to which he paid his homage believing in the excellent self-enlightenment of the Master. On account of that act of merit, he wandered about his rounds of repeated rebirths among divine and human beings, and was reborn in a family home at the time of the Blessed One Kassapa; on having attained the age of intelligence he became a monk, in His dispensation (sāsana), who dwelt as a resident monk in a monastery built by a certain devotee who kept himself attending upon him (the monk). Then, one day a camker-free Arahant thera wearer of shabby (lūkha) robes came in the direction of the village, from the forest, for the purpose of shabing off his (long) hair; on having seen that (Arahant) that devotee came to be pleased with the thera’s department (iriyāpatha), had the hair and beard (of the thera) shaved off by the barber, fed (the thera) with exalted eatable, made charitable offerings of excellent robes to him and made the thera dwell (at his monastery) saying: “Venerable Sir! Do reside here.” On having seen that thera the resident monk, being by nature jealous and full of ill-will, said to the canker-free thera thus: “O monk! When you are dwelling here, in this manner, being attended upon by this evil devotee better (varaṃ) is the life of a naked individual (acela) having dung and urine as nourishment, after having pulled out the hair with fingers.” having, however, said in this manner even, there and then (tāvadeva) he entered the privy, made the excrement swell and swell by means of his hand, as if he was being busy (vaḍḍhanto) with milk-rice and ate as much as he needed; he drank urine also. According to this routine (niyāma) of his mourishment he stayed on as long as his life-span lasted, died, got cooked in purgatory, again lived eating dung and drinking urine; on account of the residue of the consequence of that very deed, although he had sprung up among human beings, for five hundred rebirths he had to be a jain (nigaṇṭha) who had to make his meal of excerement (gūthabbakkha). Again, although he was being burn in the womb of a human being, he sprang up in a destitute family, on the strength (bala) of his having insulted (upavāda) a noble (ariya) and when he (as a child) was made to drink (pāyamāno) either breast milk (thanna) or dairy milk (khira) or ghee, he rejected the same and drank urine only; when cooked rice was being fed he rejected the same and ate excrement only; thus, growing up with enjoying nourishment in the form of dung and urine he continued partaking the same even although he had come of age even. Not being able to prohibit him from doing that (his) people totally gave him up. On having been abandoned by his relatives, he renounced the world, by becoming a naked ascetic and never had his bath; bearing on his body dust and sweat, he had his hair and beard placked, rejected other postures (iriyāpattha) and kept himself standing on a single leg; he did not relish (sādiyati) any invitation. Having made his resolution (adhiṭṭhāya) to make his fast for a month, during daytime, he accepted the food offered as charity to him by people in need of merit, monthly (māse māse) by means of the tip of kusa grass one only and licked the same with the tip of his tongue; at night, however, he ate but dry dung denying to eat the wet excrement saying that it contained living creatures (in the form of bacteria). When he had been behaving in this manner for fiftyfive years, on the expiry (of that period), multitude of men became bent and inclined towards him thinking of him thus: “He is extremely austere, and absolutely meagre in his desire.” Thereupon, the Blessed One found out inside the cavity (gabbha) of his heart the sufficing qualification for becoming an Arahant shining bright like a lighted lamp in a jar, Himself went there, taught the truth (dhamma), had him become established in the fruition of the first stage of sanctification (sotāpatti) had him gained the full ordination of a monk by welcoming him; come, monk! Made him become intent up on and undulged in developing spiritual insight (vipassanā) and had him become established in Arahantship. Here, this is in brief (saṅkhepa); at length, however, it should be understood in such a manner as has been said in the commentary on the stanza starting with: “Māse māse kusaggena,” in the Dhammapada. On having become established in Arahantship, however, he spoke these four stanzas in order to show, on the occasion of his entering parinibbāna thus: “Even though having regulated my life wrongly from the beginning, whatever ought to be achieved by a disciple had been attained by me through the kind cooperation (nissāya) of the well self-awakened Buddha. 283. “For fifty five years I bore on my body dust, damp with sweat; eating my meal but once a month I had my hair and beard plucked (by me fingers). 284. “I took my stand on a single leg. And I totally abstained from taking my seat. I ate dry dung also; I did not accept any invitation (to meal). 285. “Having done such deeds of much quantity as were conducive toward evil existence (duggati), being dragged adrift by the big flood I came to Buddha as my refuge. 285. “Having done such deeds of much quantity as were conducive toward evil existence (duggati), being dragged adrift by the big flood I came to Buddha as my refuge. 286. “Behold (my) refuge after having gone (to Buddha); see the good nature of truth (dhamma); the threefold super science (vijjā) had accordingly been attained (by me); Buddha’s instruction had been carried out.” There, paṅcapaññāsavassāni, rajo jallamadhārayiṃ means: I bore on my body dust reckoned as incidental (āgentuka) dust (reṇu) as well as sweat reckoned as bodily impurity, clinging (legga) to the body for fiftyfive years. Owing to my denial to taking any bath by my adopting (upagamana) the life of a naked recluse. Bhunjanto māsikaṃ bhattaṃ means: eating by way of placing at the tip of tongue, once every month, the food offered (as charity) by those in need of making merit, by having become what was known as one who was fasting for the month (māsopavāsiko) for the purpose of deceiving the people of the world, eating dung at night. Alocayiṃ means: I had my hair and beard, which had soft roots, plucked with my fingers, by pinching (acchārika), with the rejection (khepena) of water (āpa). Ekapādena atthāsim, āsanaṃ parivajjayiṃ means: I stood but by means of a single leg, after having lifted up both of my hands while standing also; I totally abstained from sitting down on a seat entirely by all means. Uddesaṃ means: invitation (nimantanaṃ). Some scholars say: ‘uddissakataṃ’. Na sādiyiṃ means: I did not accept; I rejected; thus, is the meaning. Etādisaṃ karitvāna, bahuṃ duggatigāminaṃ means: having done and evoked evil deeds in much a quantity which was conducive to similar and such like consequences as was also conducive to evil existences, here as well as in former rebirths. Vuyhamāno mahoghena means; being dragged down to the shore of the ocean of purgatory by such big floods as the flood of sensual pleasures (kāma) and so on, particularly (visesato) by the flood of wrong views. Buddhaṃ saraṇamāgamaṃ means: I reached Buddha as ‘My refuge’ by means of the vigour of my merit, now, after having gained human existence with difficulty, owing to holes resembling that in my meritorious act, I became piously pleased with the Master with my unshaken faith thus: “The Blessed One is well self-awakened Buddha.” Saraṇagamanaṃ passa, passa dhammasudhammataṃ means: behold my going to refuge which had reached my abode of sense (āyatana); see the good nature of the truth (dhamma) of the dispensation (sāsana) also in that although I had regulated my life wrongly like that, I had become endowed with this kind fo prosperity but by a single advice by the Master. He showed that prosperity by means of “Tisso Vijjā” and so on. On that account he said thus:– “Having lifted up and offered a fan there the invincible (abījahaṃ) lion throne, I paid my homage to the bodhi tree of the Blessed One Tissa. It was ninetytwo aeons (kappa) ago, that I made my offering to the invincible lion throne; I do not remember any evil existence; this is the fruitful result of (my) fan (offering). My depravity had been burnt. … Buddha’s instruction had been carried out.” The Commentary on the stanza of the Thera Jambuka is complete. ----